The beef trade remains in a positive position this week with heifers moving at €4.30/kg to €4.40/kg, while bullocks are generally being bought at €4.25/kg to €4.35/kg.

Finished cattle remain in short supply and last week’s rain is expected to take the pressure off some farmers, especially in the south, to offload cattle.

Cows remain a super trade in marts, with as much as €2.50/kg liveweight being paid for well-fleshed young cows in the last few days.

Retail sales of beef have seen a strong performance in the last three months across both the UK and Ireland. AHDB reported last week that UK retail beef volume sales are up 7.2% for the 12 weeks to 13 June 2021, compared to the same period in 2019.